Vancouver Whitecaps FC return home following a three-match road swing to take on Real Salt Lake in a key Western Conference clash Saturday afternoon at BC Place. Whitecaps FC concluded the trip with a point, coming back for a 1-1 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes last weekend. Real are playing another road match, falling 1-0 to their arch-rival Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park last Saturday.

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC
Vancouver Whitecaps FC concluded their three-game road swing with a point, coming back for a 1-1 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes at Buck Shaw Stadium on Saturday evening. Whitecaps FC sit in a tie for fifth place in the Western Conference with 7 points from 5 matches.

LAST MATCH

The Earthquakes took the lead in the 18th minute. Shea Salinas took possession and fed striker Alan Gordon, who knocked a first-time pass to Chris Wondolowski, who curled a cultured right-footed strike around Whitecaps FC goalkeeper Joe Cannon to the only available spot, high at the near post.

The visitors took advantage of a bizarre circumstance to level terms in the 62nd minute. With two San Jose players on the sidelines changing their boots on a slick night, Corey Hertzog dragged a deflected Daigo Kobayashi shot to set himself up from nine yards out and fired home past San Jose goalkeeper Jon Busch.

Whitecaps FC head coach Martin Rennie made one change to the team that droppe a 2-1 decision to Chivas USA at The Home Depot Center. Erik Hurtado, Corey Hertzog and Russell Teibert all came into the team, in place of Gershon Koffie, Camilo Sanvezzo and Darren Mattocks.

Whitecaps FC have won both of their home games this season. They return home from a three-game road swing where they went 0-2-1, losing at Houston and Chivas USA before the draw with San Jose.

“I thought the draw was very important. Last season, San Jose finished a lot of games with a draw and that helped them be successful. That probably won’t be the case this season and it’s unusual for them to do it again two years in a row,” said Whitecaps FC head coach Martin Rennie. “ … Having three games on the road is very tough to do, especially in a row like that. However, I felt that this is a good sign to start our season for the ongoing. We feel confident starting this season and we find ourselves right where we were last year.”

Corey Hertzog scored his first goal in his first MLS start – in just his seventh career league appearance over three seasons. Hertzog had been on the field only for one stoppage-time substitute appearance before the San Jose match; he had totaled just 36 minutes over his first six league matches.

“The main thing that Corey brings is that he seems to have a natural ability for scoring goals,” Rennie said. “Throughout preseason and throughout all the reserve games, and then again on Saturday, the ball does seem to drop to him in the box, and he seems to be clinical with his finishing.”

After starting the first four matches of the season, Darren Mattocks was an unused substitute vs. San Jose. Camilo Sanvezzo came off the bench for the third time in four games.

“With our team at the moment, we’re creating quite a lot of chances, so the more players we’ve got on the field like that, who we feel can take a chance and get us a goal, the better our team becomes,” Rennie said. “In the past, we really needed more strikers that were able to create something out of nothing on their own – maybe break away on their own or something like that. But now, because our team has much more possession of the ball and its creating more chances and its forward more and the ball’s in the box more, then I think it suits players like Corey and others that we’ve got much more than it did in the past.”

Also making his first start of the season was Russell Teibert, playing a more central role than previously. The Whitecaps FC Academy product started his professional career as a left winger, even playing some at left fullback.

“I’ve been reinventing myself,” Teibert told Vancouver radio station TEAM 1410. “I’ve been working a lot off the field and doing a lot of work on the side. I’ve changed my game a lot.”

Kenny Miller missed out of the San Jose match with a hamstring injury that caused him to miss full training for much of the week leading up to the contest.

REAL SALT LAKE
Real Salt Lake weren’t able to build upon a quality victory, the Colorado Rapids getting their first win of 2013 with a 1-0 decision at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday evening. RSL sits in a tie for fifth place in the Western Conference with 7 points from 6 games.

LAST MATCH

The game's only goal came after just five minutes. Rapids striker Edson Buddle held off two RSL defenders in the box and was just able to buy himself enough time to dish the ball off to Atiba Harris, who easily fired home from close range to score against his old team.

Real had a glorious opportunity to pull level just two minutes later. After RSL's Kyle Beckerman and Rapids rookie Dillon Powers tussled in the box, referee Chris Penso pointed to the spot. But goalkeeper Clint Irwin denied Alvaro Saborío with a diving save, pushing the ball off the post.

RSL head coach Jason Kreis made one change to the team that knocked off Seattle Sounders FC 2-1 at Rio Tinto Stadium. Alvaro Saborio started up top in place of Robbie Findley.

Real have now been shut out in three consecutive road matches, since winning 2-0 at San Jose to open the season. They did not score at Dallas, D.C. United and Real Salt Lake.

“We created chances. It's not that we didn't create chances and haven't been dominated yet,” goalkeeper Nick Rimando said. “So it wasn't a disappointing effort at all.” Said RSL captain Kyle Beckerman: “I think we just didn't score. We created the chances, but just weren't able to put one away. I think on a different night, we do.”

For the first time in his MLS career, Álvaro Sabório had a penalty kick saved. Sabório had converted all eight of his spot kicks in four MLS seasons entering the match (and was 12-for-12 for Real in all competitions).

“I think if we score that goal, it happens so quickly after their first goal that the match is probably completely different,” said Kreis. “I felt like Sabo, if he scores that penalty then he probably goes on to score two or three more, because he got several clear chances and was very unlucky.”

Sabório returned to the lineup after missing two matches, the FC Dallas game while on international duty, and the Seattle contest after suffering a knock to the knee while playing for Costa Rica.

“I know I never had missed a penalty here [with Real]," Saborío said. "But that is football, it happens. I need to refocus and be prepared for another penalty. … It was kind of that type of game where I played all night and I just couldn't score. I feel bad because if I score that penalty, it is a different game.”

For a second consecutive match, Javier Morales came on as a second-half substitute, playing the entire 45 minutes following the break (after playing 28 vs. FC Dallas).

“I'm pretty close,” Morales said. “The only problem with the next game is it is on turf. So I don't know if it is going to be good for my knee or not.”

The trip to Vancouver concludes a stretch of five road games out of seven to start the season, but RSL returns home for a three-game series, all against Western Conference clubs, beginning next weekend.

“I think we are doing OK. I think we are doing enough, but it could be better and the results could be better,” said goalkeeper Nick Rimando. “On the road, you try to get as many results as you can, but it is a tough start for us to be on the road so many games. But we are dealing with it and I think we are doing OK.”